Collapsible pet bed

ABSTRACT

A pet bed which is collapsible as a unit for more efficient packaging, storage, and display. The foam cores which form the bottom cushion and the surrounding wall are enclosed in first and second fabric enclosures. The enclosure for the bottom cushion is joined to the fabric layer which extends over the inside and top of the wall core, but is free from attachment to the fabric which extends under the lower edge of the wall. This permits the bottom cushion to be tilted up to a vertical alignment parallel to the forward and rearward portions of the wall as the latter are pressed together, producing a flattened structure in which the forward and rearward wall portions lie flat against the upper and lower surfaces of the bottom cushion. The lower edges of the two fabric enclosures are provided with elasticized openings which retain the foam cores, but permit their removal for washing of the fabric cover.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to pet beds, and moreparticularly to a pet bed for cats, dogs, and other animals whichcollapses to provide a compact unit for storage, shipment, and salesdisplay.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A common form of pet bed comprises an upstanding oval or circular wallwhich surrounds a padded floor cushion. Typically, the wall and floorcushion are formed of foam rubber or a similar material, over which acovering of fabric and/or artificial lamb's wool is installed. Such petbeds are attractive from the point of view that they provide the animalwith a sheltered, semi-enclosed bed in which the pet feels secure, andalso because the semi-enclosed structure helps to contain hair, etc. toprovide a neat and tidy installation for in-home.

A typical pet bed 10 of this general type is shown in FIGS. 1-3 and isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,981. As noted above, the bed has anupstanding oval wall portion 12 which is formed by a foam slab or core14, and in order to provide more convenient access for the animal, acutaway portion 16 is formed in the forward side of the wall. The floorcushion 20, in turn, is formed by a flat, oval foam core 22 which abutsthe inner surface of the perimeter wall 12 so as to maintain the ovalshape of the latter.

As can be seen in FIGS. 1-3, the foam core portions are covered and heldtogether by a fabric cover 24, with a synthetic sheep skin lining 26 onthe interior portions of the bed. As can be seen in FIG. 3, thecoverings consist of essentially two sheets of fabric. The first, namelythe lining 26, extends over the top of the bed and is stitched to theexterior fabric 28 (e.g., cotton flannel or nylon fabric) at a perimeterseam 30 which runs along the entire upper edge of the oval sidewall 12.The fabric forming the exterior covering, in turn, extends down theoutside of the wall portion and part way across the bottom of the bed.At the lower edge of the perimeter wall, there is another seam 32 atwhich the outer fabric layer is attached to the inner layer, the latterbeing tucked down between the outer edge of the floor panel 20 and theperimeter wall in this area. This forms a pocket or "bag" for holdingthe foam core 22 of the floor cushion. In the bed which is illustratedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,981, an opening 24 with an elastic enclosure band26 is provided in the bottom fabric panel to permit removal of thebottom cushion core.

The prior art design which is shown in FIGS. 1-3 provides a comfortableand economical pet bed, but exhibits several significant deficiencies inpractical use. A first problem is that because the foam core 14 is fullyenclosed by the fabric covering which is stitched at seams 30 and 32, itis impossible for the customer to remove the wall core for washing ofthe fabric cover. Perhaps even more seriously, traditional pet beds ofthis general type are exceedingly inefficient in terms of the spacewhich is required for storage, shipping, and point of sales display. Forexample, as can be seen in FIG. 9, when conventional pet beds havingthis shape are stacked for shipment, they take up an excessive volume ofspace, which greatly adds to packaging and transportation costs.Moreover, in a retail environment, such beds take up excessive shelfspace, and are almost impossible to arrange in a neat, well-organizeddisplay.

The bed which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,981 has provided apartial solution to this problem, being that the foam core for thebottom cushion is removable so that the perimeter wall can be flattenedfor packaging. This solution is not entirely satisfactory, however,because it requires packaging of two separate parts (i.e., the perimeterwall with its fabric covering and the separate bottom cushion), which isboth inefficient and unsightly in practice, and which also requiresassembly by the customer following purchase.

Accordingly, a need has existed for a pad bed of the semi-enclosed typewhich collapses so as to afford more efficient storage, shipping, anddisplay of the product, and which does so as a single piece and does notrequire subsequent assembly by the purchaser. Moreover, there hasexisted a need for such a bed which permits convenient removal of all ofthe foam core structures from the fabric cover for laundering of thelatter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has solved the problems cited above, and is a petbed which is collapsible as a unit for packaging. Broadly, the bedcomprises: (a) a generally planar cushion member, (b) a resilientlycollapsible wall member which at least partially surrounds the cushionmember when the bed is in its expanded configuration, and (c) a fabriccover member which comprises a first enclosure for the cushion memberand a second enclosure for the wall member, the second enclosure beingattached to the first enclosure at a junction along an edge thereof, atleast a part of the junction being displaceable in a vertical directionrelative to the wall member so as to permit the cushion member in thefirst enclosure to be tilted up as the first and second sides of thewall member are pushed together, to a collapsed position in which thecushion member is substantially parallel to and sandwiched between thefirst and second sides of the wall member.

The second enclosure for enclosing the wall member may comprise an innerfabric layer which extends upwardly and over an inner surface and upperedge of the wall member, and an outer fabric layer which extendsdownwardly over the outer surface and under the lower edge of the wallmember, the junction attaching the first enclosure to the secondenclosure being formed between an edge of the first enclosure and innerfabric layer of the second enclosure, and being free from attachment tothe edge of the outer fabric layer which extends under the wall member,so that the inner fabric layer at the junction is free to fold upwardlyas the cushion portion is tilted upwardly to the collapsed position.

Preferably, the inner fabric layer of the second enclosure hassufficient height from the junction to the upper edge of the wall memberto permit the inner fabric layer to fold and extend upwardly as thecushion member is tilted up, until the rearward portion of the wallmember comes into flat abutment against the lower surface of the cushionmember. Also, the wall member may comprise a notch portion which isformed in an upper edge of the portion thereof which is generallyopposite the junction between the enclosures, so as to permit the wallmember to fold downwardly and rearwardly at the notch portion and intoabutment with an upper surface of the cushion member as the cushionmember is tilted to the collapsed position; also the notch is preferablyof sufficient width to form an access opening in the wall member whenthe bed is in its expanded configuration.

The junction between the first and second enclosures may be a seamconnecting an upper edge of the first enclosure to the inner fabriclayer of the second enclosure.

The second enclosure may further comprise means for inwardly biasing theedge of the outer fabric layer which extends under the wall member, sothat the inwardly biased edge retains the wall member in the secondenclosure yet permits its selected removal therefrom for cleaning of thefabric cover. The means for inwardly biasing the edge of the fabriclayer may comprise an elastic band attached to the edge of the fabriclayer so as to draw the edge inwardly towards a central area of the bed.Similarly, the first enclosure may comprise a top fabric layer whichextends over an upper surface of the cushion member and an outer fabriclayer which extends downwardly over and under an outer edge of thecushion member, with means being provided for inwardly biasing thedownwardly and inwardly extending edge of the latter so as to retain thecushion member in the first enclosure yet permit its selective removalfor washing of the cover.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a prior art bed of the semi-enclosedtype which is unable to collapse as a unit for packaging and storage,and which does not allow removal of the wall core for washing of thefabric cover;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the prior art pet bed of FIG. 1,showing its structure and the manner in which the removable foam bottomcushion is retained in its fabric pocket by an elasticized closure;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the pet bed of FIGS. 1-2, showingthe foam cores thereof and the relationship of the seams by which theupper and lower layers of the fabric cover are joined;

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of a pet bed in accordance with thepresent invention, this being of the semi-enclosed type, somewhatsimilar in overall shape to the prior art pet bed shown in FIGS. 1-3 butbeing collapsible as a unit for packaging and shipment;

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the pet bed of FIG. 4, showingthe first and second elasticized closures which permit removal of bothof the foam core portions for laundering of the fabric cover;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view, similar to FIG. 3, showing the foamcore structures of the pet bed in accordance with the present invention,and also the relationship of the seams which join the fabric coverpanels so as to permit the pet bed to be collapsed as a single unit forstorage, shipment, point of sale display, without requiring removal ofany part thereof or reassembly by the customer;

FIG. 7 is an upper perspective view of the pet bed of FIGS. 4-6, showingthe pet bed in its collapsed, flattened configuration;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the pet bed of FIG. 7 in thecollapsed configuration;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of several prior art pet beds of thesemi-enclosed type, illustrating how the non-collapsible structuresthereof render it impossible to arrange these in an efficient manner forstorage, shipment, or point of sales display;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view somewhat similar to FIG. 9, showingthe manner in which the configuration of the beds of the presentinvention in their collapsed, flattened condition facilitates anefficient, orderly arrangement for storage, shipment display, and soforth;

FIG. 11 is a top perspective view of a collapsible pet bed in accordancewith a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the bottomcushion folds in half as the bed is collapsed and the edges of thebottom cushion at the ends of the fold shift upwardly relative to thewall member as this is done, FIG. 11 showing the bed in its collapsedconfiguration;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the collapsed pet bed of FIG. 11,taken along the short axis thereof, i.e., line 12--12 of FIG. 11; and

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the collapsed pet bed of FIG. 11,taken along the long axis thereof, i.e., line 13--13 in FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 4-6 show an example of a pet bed 100 in accordance with thepresent invention, in its fully erected configuration, as when the bedis in its normal configuration for use by the pet. As was noted above,the bed 100 is of the semi-enclosed type, this example being a generallyoval in overall shape. Accordingly, there is a generally verticallyextending wall portion 102 which is encircles a horizontal bottomcushion portion 104.

As can be seen in FIG. 6, the main structural part of the wall portion102 is an upstanding foam core 106, while that of the bottom cushionportion is a horizontal foam core 108. Similar to the prior art bedwhich was described above, the exterior of the foam core elements iscovered by a fabric cover 110, in which the inner surfaces of the bedare covered with a synthetic lamb's wool 112 or similar material whichis comforting to the animal, and the outer and lower surfaces of the bedare covered with a relatively hard-wearing, smooth-surfaced fabric 114;it will be understood, however, that any suitable fabrics may be used toform the covering.

As was noted above, it is a particular feature of the present inventionthat the pet bed can be compressed or folded flat for storage, shipping,and display without having to remove any part thereof. The constructionwhich permits this to be done can be seen in FIG. 6, which is to becontrasted with the corresponding prior art construction which is shownin FIG. 3.

In particular, FIG. 6 shows that the inner/upper fabric panel 112 isjoined to the outer fabric panel 114 at a perimeter seam 120 which runsalong the top of the wall portion 102 of the bed, and that the outerfabric panel 114 extends downwardly over the outside of the wall. Unlikethe prior art construction which is shown in FIG. 3, the outer fabricpanel 114 is not joined again into the inner fabric layer at the base ofthe wall. Instead, the lower portion 122 of the outer fabric extendsunder the lower edge of the sidewall foam core and terminates at an edge124 which is positioned proximate the lower inner edge thereof, thefabric edge 124 being biased radially inwardly by a continuous elasticband 126 (see also FIG. 5).

A second annular fabric panel extends inwardly around the edge of thebottom cushion core 108, and has an inner edge 132 which defines agenerally oval opening 134, the fabric edge 132 being biased radiallyinwardly by a second elastic band 136. The outer edge of the annularfabric panel 130, in turn, extends upwardly between core 108 and theinner surface of the wall portion core 106, and is attached to the upperfabric layer 104 at a seam 138 which extends around the bottom cushioncore at the upper edge thereof.

Thus, the first annular fabric panel 114, in combination with theinterior panel 112, forms an elastic pocket for enclosing the foam coreof the wall portion of the bed, and similarly, the second annular fabricpanel 130 serves in combination with the inner panel 112 to provide anelastic pocket for the bottom cushion core. This construction, i.e., thefirst and second elasticized openings at the bottom of the bed 100,enables the customer to easily remove both foam cores for cleaning ofthe fabric cover, as contrasted with the single opening structure of theprior art bed which is shown in FIG. 3.

Moreover, because the lower, inside edge of the fabric panel 114 thatcovers the wall core is not attached to the annular fabric panel 130which encloses the bottom cushion core, the latter can be pivotedupwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow 140. As this is done,the back wall portion 142 of the upper fabric layer, which extendsupwardly from seam 138 along the back edge of the bottom cushion, foldsin an upward direction. As this is done, the forward and rearward wallportions 106a, 106b are pressed towards one another, in the directionsindicated by arrows 144a, 144b. As this motion continues, the forwardand rearward wall portions come together, and the height "h" of the rearwall portion 142 of the upper fabric layer is sufficient to permit therearward edge of the bottom cushion to rotate upwardly past the upperedge of the rear wall portion 106b, until the bottom cushion is finallypressed flat between and lies more or less parallel to the front andrear wall portions 106a, 106b. In other words, as is shown in FIG. 8,the height "h" of the rear wall fabric portion 142, plus the distancefrom the inner edge of the wall to the seam 120, is selected to besufficient to allow the rearward edge 146 of the bottom cushion to pivotupwardly past the upper edge of the rear wall portion 106b, by thedistance "h'" which is necessary for the inner surface of the rear wallportion to come into flat abutment with the lower surface of the bottomcushion.

Simultaneously, the sides of the entrance notch 105 at the front of thebed collapse together as shown in FIG. 7, permitting the front wallportion 106a to move downwardly and rearwardly into flat abutmentagainst the upper surface of the bottom cushion 104, as is also shown inFIG. 8.

In short, the combination of the loose fabric rear panel 142 and thedownwardly folding front wall 106a permit vertical adjustment of thefoam core members until they come to the position shown in FIG. 8, inwhich the bottom cushion is sandwiched flat between the front and rearportions of the perimeter wall. It will be noted, however, that themovement of the front wall portion 106a relative to the forward edge ofthe bottom cushion may also be achieved in part or in whole by formingthe forward wall portion 148 of the upper fabric panel with sufficientheight to accommodate the shift in positions. Furthermore, thearrangement may be reversed in some embodiments, i.e., the floor whichmay pivot upwardly at the front wall portion and downwardly at the rearwall. It will also be understood that, in some embodiments, the wallcovering and liner fabrics may be cut from a single sheet of fabricrather than from two different materials as in the illustrated example.

Once the bed has been folded or "flattened" to the compact configurationwhich is shown in FIG. 8, it can be secured in this position by shrinkwrap and/or banding 150, or by other suitable means.

The much more efficient packaging which is thus made possible can beseen by comparison of FIGS. 9 and 10. As was noted above, FIG. 9 showsthe stacking of a typical non-collapsible prior art pet bed 30. In theparticular example which is shown in FIG. 9, it is only possible topackage four of the non-collapsible beds 30 in a space defined by thedimensions "a"×"b" (the dimension along the third axis is assumed to beidentical in both FIGS. 9 and 10). However, using collapsible beds 100in accordance with the present invention, having essentially identicaldimensions, it is possible to pack approximately seven units in anactually slightly smaller space as defined by dimensions "a"×"b-x". Ascan be seen, the downwardly folded forward wall portion 102a of each ofthe collapsed beds 100 fits beneath the rearward wall portion 102b ofthe bed in front of it, and against the bottom side of the bottomcushion 104, so that each collapsed basically bed occupies the thicknessof two of its foam core portions. Also, if two or more stacks of thecollapsed beds are packed adjacent one another, the downwardly extendingedges of the forward wall portions 102a may be received in the gaps 152between the edges of the bottom cushions.

In the example given above, an approximately 75% improvement involumetric efficiency of the packaging is achieved by the presentinvention, which represents a very significant savings in terms of bothpackaging and shipping costs. It will be understood that these are onlyrough approximations, however, and that various factors, such asthicknesses of the foam cores and the overall shapes and sizes of theerected beds will naturally effect how many of the beds can be packed ina particular volume.

As was also noted above, another advantage of the pet bed of the presentinvention is that it provides for a neat and efficient use of shelfspace at the point of sale. In particular, as can be seen in FIG. 10,the forward faces of the upturned bottom cushions 104 provides displayareas 154 (see also FIG. 7) on which a label and other information canbe conveniently positioned for viewing by the customer.

To erect the bed for use by the pet, the customer simply removes theshrink wrap and/or cardboard banding and reverses the steps which weredescribed above with reference to the FIGS. 6-8, simply letting theforward and rear wall portions 102a, 102b spread apart andsimultaneously pivoting the bottom cushion portion 104 downwardly to itshorizontal position; because the bed collapses as a single unit, it isunnecessary for the customer to perform any additional assembly stepswhen setting it up, such as inserting foam core panels, for example.

FIGS. 11-13 show a pet bed 200 in accordance with a second embodiment ofthe present invention, this being particularly suited to relativelylarger sizes of beds. As can be seen, the overall construction of thebed 200 is similar to that which has been described above, in that thereis an oval bottom cushion member 202 which is encircled by an upstandingwall member 204. Also, there is a first fabric enclosure 206 for thebottom cushion, this having an upper fabric layer 208 which extendsacross the top of the foam core 210 and a lower fabric layer 212 whichextends under the outer edges thereof, the latter being provided with anelastic band 214 along its edge to form the resiliently deformableopening which allows selective removal of the foam core. Similarly,there is a second fabric enclosure 216 for the foam core 218 of the wallmember; as with the embodiment which was described above, this comprisesan inner fabric layer which extends upwardly over the inside surface andupper edge of the wall, and an outer fabric layer 222 which extendsdownwardly over the outer surface of the wall and under the lower edgethereof, the lower edge of the outer fabric panel being provided with anelastic band 224 which forms the pocket for holding the foam core 218.

As is also similar to the embodiment which was described above, theinner fabric layer 220 of the outer enclosure extends downwardly and hasits lower edge joined to the edge of the first enclosure 206 at a seam226 which extends about the perimeter thereof, while the inner enclosure206 remains free from attachment to the edge of the enclosure 216 whichextends under the wall member. This allows the edges of the innerenclosure 206 and bottom cushion core 210 to be displaced upwardlyrelative to the wall member as the bed is folded, as is shown in FIG.13.

Thus, as the bed 200 is folded to the collapsed configuration which isshown in FIGS. 11-13, the two edges 230, 232 at the ends of the longaxis of the oval bottom cushion 202 bend upwardly as the forward andrearward portions 234, 236 of the wall member are pressed towards oneanother, and the inner fabric layer 220 in these areas folds and extendsupwardly above the upper edge of the wall core to accommodate thismovement. Simultaneously, the edges 240, 242 at the ends of the shortaxis of the bottom cushion remain postioned proximate the lower edges ofthe wall member 204, or in some embodiments move downwardly relativethereto. This results in the bottom cushion member 202 being foldedessentially in half, in an inverted "U" configuration, with anupstanding ridge 244 formed along the long axis thereof. The wall member204, in turn, is collapsed to a flattened, lozenge shape, with itsforward and rearward portions 234, 236 being pressed flatly against theupper surface of the folded bottom cushion 202, adjacent the forward andrearward edges 240, 242 thereof.

The bed 200 can be secured in its collapsed configuration by a cardboardband 248 or other member which is wrapped around the short axis of thecollapsed structure. An angled display area 250 may be formed on aforward portion of the band to display the label and other information.Thus, in their compact, collapsed form, the relatively larger beds 200can be efficiently arranged in a row on a store shelf, with the displayarea 250 angled upwardly for convenient viewing by the purchaser.

To erect the bed, the purchaser simply removes the retainer band 248 andany associated packing, and spreads the forward and rearward wallportions 234, 236 apart. As this is done, the bottom cushion member 202unfolds to its oval, planar configuration to form the floor of the bed,the fabric portions 220 at the ends thereof folding and extendingdownwardly to accommodate this motion relative to the wall member.

In the preferred embodiments which have been illustrated herein, thebottom cushion and wall cores are formed of a resiliently collapsiblematerial, such as foam rubber. It will be understood, however, that inthe embodiment which is illustrated in FIGS. 4-8, in which the floorcushion is not required to bend in order for the bed to collapse, thebottom cushion core may be formed in part or in whole of a rigid orsemi-rigid material, and with cushioning being provided on the uppersurface of this for the animal. Also, in many embodiments, the bottomcushion core may be retained in its enclosure by one, two, or morestrips of plastic or webbing material which extend across the bottomopening, or by a continuous bottom panel which is releasably secured tothe edges of the enclosure by a zipper, Vector™ (hook and loop)material, snaps, or other means. Furthermore, the foam core itself maybe detachable mounted to the upper layer of the enclosure by hook andloop material, snaps, and so forth, so as to permit the lower portion ofthe fabric enclosure to be dispensed with. Also, the bed of the presentinvention can be made to collapse as a unit without any means beingprovided for removal/detachment of the foam cores (i.e., the cores couldbe permanently mounted within their enclosures), although the advantageof being able remove the cores for washing of the fabric cover wouldthen be lost. Still further, although the fabric covers have, for thepurposes of this description, been discussed in terms of inner/outer andupper/lower layers of fabric, it will be understood that this includes aconstruction in which one or more of these layers may be formed of asingle sheet of fabric, such as a single sheet running over the top ofthe bottom cushion and the upper edge and outer surface of the wallmember, or over the outer and inner surfaces of the wall member andunder the edge of the bottom cushion member, for example.

It is therefore to be recognized that these and many other modificationsmay be made to the illustrative embodiments described above withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited, except as by theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pet bed which is collapsible as a unit forpackaging, said bed comprising:a generally planar cushion member; aresiliently collapsible wall member which at least partially surroundssaid cushion member when said bed is in an expanded configuration; and afabric cover member, said cover member comprising:a first enclosureenclosing said cushion member; and a second enclosure enclosing saidwall member; said second enclosure being attached to said firstenclosure at a junction along an edge thereof, at least a part of saidjunction being displaceable in a vertical direction relative to saidwall member so as to permit said cushion member in said first enclosureto be tilted up as first and second portions of said wall member arepushed together, to a collapsed position in which said cushion member issubstantially parallel to and sandwiched between said first and secondportions of said wall member.
 2. The pet bed of claim 1, wherein saidsecond enclosure for enclosing said wall member comprises:an innerfabric layer which extends upwardly over an inner surface and upper edgeof said wall member; and an outer fabric layer which extends downwardlyover an outer surface and under a lower edge of said wall member; saidjunction attaching said first enclosure to said second enclosure beingformed between an edge of said first enclosure and said inner fabriclayer of said second enclosure, and being free from attachment to anedge of said outer fabric layer which extends under said lower edge ofsaid wall member, so that said inner fabric layer at said junction isfree to fold upwardly as said cushion portion is tilted upwardly to saidcollapsed position.
 3. The pet bed of claim 2, wherein said inner fabriclayer of said second enclosure has sufficient height from said junctionto said upper edge of said wall member to permit said inner fabric layerto deform as said cushion member is tilted upwardly until a portion ofsaid wall member which is adjacent said junction comes into flatabutment against a lower surface of said cushion member.
 4. The pet bedof claim 3, wherein said wall member comprises:a notch portion formed inan upper edge of a portion of said wall member generally opposite saidjunction, so as to permit said wall member to fold downwardly andrearwardly at said notch portion and into abutment with an upper surfaceof said cushion member as said cushion member is tilted to saidcollapsed position.
 5. The collapsible pet bed of claim 4, wherein saidnotch is of sufficient width to form an access opening in said wallmember when said bed is in said expanded configuration.
 6. Thecollapsible pet bed of claim 3, wherein said junction comprises:a seamconnecting an upper edge of said first enclosure to said inner fabriclayer of said second enclosure.
 7. The collapsible pet bed of claim 3,wherein said second enclosure further comprises:means for inwardlybiasing said edge of said outer fabric layer which extends under saidlower edge of said wall member, so that said inwardly-biased edgeretains said wall member in said second enclosure yet permits selectiveremoval of said wall member therefrom for cleaning of said fabric covermember.
 8. The collapsible pet bed of claim 7, wherein said means forinwardly biasing said edge of said outer fabric layer comprises:anelastic band attached to said edge of said outer fabric layer so as todraw said edge inwardly toward a central area of said bed.
 9. Thecollapsible pet bed of claim 7, wherein said first enclosure comprises:atop fabric layer which extends over an upper surface of said cushionmember; and an outer fabric layer which extends downwardly over andunder an outer edge of said cushion member; said junction between saidfirst and second enclosures being formed at an outer edge of said topfabric layer and said outer fabric layer extending downwardly therefromintermediate said outer edge of said cushion member and said innersurface of said wall member.
 10. The collapsible pet bed of claim 9,wherein said first enclosure further comprises:means for inwardlybiasing said edge of said outer fabric layer which extends downwardy andunder said edge of said cushion member, so that said inwardly-biasededge retains said cushion member in said first enclosure yet permitsselective removal of said cushion member therefrom for cleaning of saidfabric cover member.
 11. A pet bed which is collapsible as a unit forpackaging, said bed comprising:a generally planar cushion member havingupper and lower surfaces and forward and rearward edges; a resilientlycollapsible wall member which encircles and extends upwardly around saidcushion member when said bed is in an expanded configuration, said wallmember having forward and rearward portions and upper and lower edges; afirst fabric enclosure enclosing said cushion member, said first fabricenclosure having an upper fabric layer which extends over an uppersurface of said cushion member and a lower fabric layer which extendsover said edges of said cushion member and under said lower surfacethereof, said lower fabric layer having an inner edge which forms anopening for selective removal of said cushion member from said firstenclosure and having an elastic member attached thereto for biasing saidinner fabric edge inwardly so as to retain said cushion member in saidfirst enclosure; a second fabric enclosure enclosing said wall member,said second fabric enclosure having an inner fabric layer which extendsover an inner surface and upper edge of said wall member and an outerfabric layer which extends over an outer surface and lower edge of saidwall member, said outer fabric layer having a lower edge which forms anopening for selective removal of said wall member from said secondenclosure and having an elastic member attached thereto for biasing saidlower fabric edge inwardly so as to retain said wall member in saidsecond enclosure; and a seam attaching said first enclosure to saidinner fabric layer of said second enclosure along said forward andrearward edges of said cushion member; said first enclosure being freefrom attachment to said lower edge of said outer fabric layer of saidsecond enclosure, and said inner fabric layer of said second enclosureextending upwardly from said seam along said rearward portion of saidwall member by a sufficient height to permit said rearward edge of saidcushion member to be tilted upwardly, as said inner fabric layer foldsand extends upwardly and said forward and rearward portions of said wallmember are pushed towards one another, to a collapsed position in whichsaid cushion portion in said first enclosure is substantially parallelto and sandwiched between said forward and rearward portions of saidwall member in said second enclosure, with said inner surfaces of saidforward and rearward portions of said wall member flatly abutting saidupper and lower surfaces of said cushion member.